Container for distributing or sorting apparatus



April 1932- J. J. M. MARCHAND ET AL 1,852,428

CONTAINER FOR DISTRIBUTING OR SORTING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 30, 1930 Inventors 2400M J I i Patented Apr. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JEAN JOSEPH MARTIN LAMBERT MARCHAND, OF THE HAGUE, AND JACO'BUS CORNELIS AN DRIESSEN, OF RIJ'SWIJK, NETHERLANDS CONTAINER FOR DISTRIBUTING R SORTING APPARATUS Application filed August 30, 1930, Serial No. 479,062, and in Germany July 10, 1930.

This invention relates to a container for the distribution or sorting of letters, documents, or other objects, the said containers travelling in a series in relation with one or more it places of delivery, and being equipped with preferably interengaging outlet-flaps which carry fingers or like members for the quick delivery or expulsion of the letters etc. at a predetermined place of delivery.

In such containers, e. g. same according to the U. S. patent specification No. 1,774,417 of the same applicants, the letter or the like after being introduced into the container rest edgewise on the closed outlet flaps and the letter is only then caught by the lingers during the opening of the flaps for the expulsion of the letter out of the container towards the place of delivery.

This arrangement has the great drawback, 39 that the letter before being expulsed is not held in a certain position in the container, so that in an apparatus wherein the containers on a part of their way are moved e. g. with their underside in front, even in a totally reversed position, the letter will move through the container room and may attain a position wherein same cannot, or cannot easily be expulsed out of the container.

According to the invention this drawback has been met in constructing the container and the coacting part of the track which it follows in such a way, that after the letter having been introduced into the container, and rests edgewise on the closed outlet-flaps, these flaps by means of a setting means positioned next to the track, are brought into an intermediate position, without however opening the container, in which position the fingers carried by the flaps yieldingly take hold of the letter or the like.

The further movement of the flaps and of the fingers carried by them, occurs at the delivery place for the expulsion of the letter out of the container.

The invention is shown by way of example in the drawings in a suitable form of execution. Figure 1 shows a longitudinal side view of a container according to the invenqg tion and Figure 2 is a cross-section along the lines 11-11 in Figure 1. The flaps have been indicated in Fig. 2 in the three different.

positions which they can take in.

1 indicates the wall of the container which has the form of a hopper, is supported by a carriage 15 rolling with wheels 16 on an endless track and possesses'two interengaging outlet-flaps 2, 3 which stand under the action of springs 10, 11 tending to open the flaps.

To these flaps-fingers 4, 5 are fixed, positioned in two rows placed opposite each other. These fingers follow the same movement as the flaps if same under the action of the springs 10, 11 pivot quickly around their axis 12, 13 into the opening positon 2 3.

According to the present improvements, in order to maintain the letter always upright and ready for proper expulsion, even after the container has been through inverted travel, the fingers 4 and 5 are made to bear tightly together against the letter or letters in each container for the whole time that the letter is in the container. To this end, immediately after a letter 14 has been inserted into the container the cam-operated means 6 and 7 on the moving container, encounter suitable slanting and shaped guides on the track, which is otherwise built as heretofore. This forces the members 6 and 7 outwardly away from each-other and hence lowers the flaps 2 and 3 down into the position 23. In this intermediate position, the flaps are wedged or locked together with the fingers 1 and 5 firmly and securely holding the letter 14: upright between them, resting on the flaps. The letters or articles thus cannot possibly be dislodged and thrown away out of expelling position, no matter what inverted position the container may assume. As soon as the container has reached the predetermined place of delivery, the members 6 and 7 encounter abruptly wider cam surfaces and hence forced suddenly still farther outwardly. This gives the springs 10 and 11 a chance to contract suddenly, which they do, pulling the flaps still farther outwardly abruptly, resulting in the fingers being suddenly downwardly moved into the position 4 -5 with a snap action. This gives the letter a positive downward impulse of considerable magnitude, throwing it out of the container instead of its being merely released and gently dropped into the proper pigeon holes, as heretofore.

We claim:

5 1. In a container for handling objects of the class described and adapted for movement into inverted positions, interengaging flaps at the bottom of the container for supporting the object in vertical position, co-acting vertically, extending fingers on thesaid fiaps, the

flaps in closed position before the objectis introduced maintaining the fingers outside the body, and cam operatedmeans for moving said flaps downwardly into a second closed position to 'graspand-hold the object when the container is inverted, and means for mov ing the flaps downwardly further intothe open position to expel the object from the container.

9 2. In a. container for handling objects of the class described and adapted for move-v ment into invertedpositions, interengaging flaps at-the bottom ofvthe container, vertically extending fingers on the said flaps, said 1 flaps tending to remain closed until a letteris inserted in the container, cam operated means tending to move the flaps downwardly into a second closed position to lock the fingers against the object resting vertically on the flaps, and spring means co-acting with the cam operated means to unlock the flaps and fingers and positively expel the object from the container. 1

3. Inacontainer for handling, objects of the classy described and adapted for move ment into invertedpositions, interengaging flaps at the bottom of the container, each of said flaps having a vertically extending looped spring-member arrangedon its-upper face to extend on to the center line of the container, said fingers, in the initial closed position of said flaps lyingoutside the, con-V tainer, cam-operated means for moving said flaps downwardly into a second closed posi-c tion to graspcand holdthe objectwhile the container is inverted, and means for moving the flaps still further downwardly into open position to positively expel the object from K the container. 7 r

"s In testimony whereof weaffix. our signatures. c a

JEAN JOSEPH MARTIN LAMBERT MARCHAND.

JACOBUS CORNELIS'ANDRIESSEN. v 

